Plaça Sant Jaume, Barcelona | Tourist Information

The Plaça de Sant Jaume is a square at the center of the Old City of Barcelona, and the administrative heart of both the city and surrounding Catalonia. This is because the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the City Hall are located here across from one another.HistoryThe Plaça Sant Jaume is located at the former center of the Roman city of Barcino, where its main streets, the Cardo (modern day Llibreteria and Call streets) and Decumanus (now the streets of Bisbe/Ciutat/Regomir), crossed. At this junction there was the forum and the Temple of Augustus, of which four columns are preserved on top of Mont Tàber, found at the adjacent Paradís Street.The Square takes its modern name from the church of Church of Sant Jaume, which had been located at the site of the square since medieval times. Formerly, the city council of Barcelona met in the porch at the front of that church, until it bought a number of nearby homes that would house the future headquarters of the institution on the neighboring street. The old church was demolished in 1823 when Ferran Street was being built; its demolition also allowed for the Square to be rebuilt as it exists today. Note that prior to these demolitions, the square was limited to a small angular space, with the rest of the future plaza being occupied by the same church, its cemetery, and the houses of the Magistracy and the General Court of the Veguer.The Plaça Sant Jaume has also been called "Constitution Square" in various historical periods, and this name appeared on a plaque on the façade of the City Hall (removed in 2013)

La Barceloneta is a neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The neighborhood was constructed during the 18th century for the residents of the Ribera neighborhood who had been displaced by the construction of the Ciutadella of Barcelona. The neighborhood is roughly triangular, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Moll d'Espanya of Port Vell, and the El Born neighborhood. This neighborhood even has its own flag. The neighborhood is serviced by its own stop on the Barcelona Metro (L4). This is a good starting point for whatever itinerary there may be to adventure through La Barceloneta. The yellow line, L4, which is the metro line that stops at La Barceloneta, is the most popular for pickpocketing. The neighborhood can also be discovered by taking Las Gorondrinas, which leave from the front port of the Columbus monument. This way the marine strip can be discovered, but the real charm of this neighborhood is by getting lost in the side streets or alleyways. Torre Sant Sebastià is the terminus of the Port Vell Aerial Tramway; opened in 1931, it connects La Barceloneta with Montjuïc across Port Vell.

La Barceloneta is a neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The neighborhood was constructed during the 18th century for the residents of the Ribera neighborhood who had been displaced by the construction of the Ciutadella of Barcelona. The neighborhood is roughly triangular, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Moll d'Espanya of Port Vell, and the El Born neighborhood. This neighborhood even has its own flag. The neighborhood is serviced by its own stop on the Barcelona Metro (L4). This is a good starting point for whatever itinerary there may be to adventure through La Barceloneta. The yellow line, L4, which is the metro line that stops at La Barceloneta, is the most popular for pickpocketing. The neighborhood can also be discovered by taking Las Gorondrinas, which leave from the front port of the Columbus monument. This way the marine strip can be discovered, but the real charm of this neighborhood is by getting lost in the side streets or alleyways. Torre Sant Sebastià is the terminus of the Port Vell Aerial Tramway; opened in 1931, it connects La Barceloneta with Montjuïc across Port Vell.

The Gothic Quarter is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to Ronda de Sant Pere. It is a part of Ciutat Vella district.The quarter was built primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century, though several buildings date from medieval times. Remains of the squared Roman Wall can be seen around Tapineria and Sots-Tinent Navarro to the north, Avinguda de la Catedral and Plaça Nova to the west and Carrer de la Palla to the south. El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area too.The Barri Gòtic retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.LandmarksCathedral of Santa EulàliaBasilica of La MercèChurch of Santa Maria del PiChurch of Sant MiquelPlaça Sant Jaume, including Casa de la Ciutat (city hall) and Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya (presidential palace).Plaça ReialPlaça del Rei, including Barcelona City History Museum (MUHBA) and Palau Reial MajorPlaça de Sant Felip NeriPortal de l'ÀngelRemains of the Temple of Augustus in BarcelonaEls Quatre Gats

Probably, one of Europe’s best contributions to humankind is its particular way of understanding urban public space. For millennia the Old Continent has been producing cities on a human scale, long-lived and yet dynamic, and open to cultural fertility and to the civic consciousness of their inhabitants. Far from being an exercise in nostalgia, defending the European model of the city is more urgent than ever today. When urban fabrics are changing and being stretched with unprecedented momentum, public space is still the best terrain from which to combat the injustices and folly that are presently ravaging them. The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial honorary award which recognises, publicises and fosters the creation, recovery or improvement of shared spaces, understanding their state as a clear indicator of the democratic health of our cities.

Probably, one of Europe’s best contributions to humankind is its particular way of understanding urban public space. For millennia the Old Continent has been producing cities on a human scale, long-lived and yet dynamic, and open to cultural fertility and to the civic consciousness of their inhabitants. Far from being an exercise in nostalgia, defending the European model of the city is more urgent than ever today. When urban fabrics are changing and being stretched with unprecedented momentum, public space is still the best terrain from which to combat the injustices and folly that are presently ravaging them. The European Prize for Urban Public Space is a biennial honorary award which recognises, publicises and fosters the creation, recovery or improvement of shared spaces, understanding their state as a clear indicator of the democratic health of our cities.

Passeig de Gràcia is one of the major avenues in Barcelona (Catalonia) and one of its most important shopping and business areas, containing several of the city's most celebrated pieces of architecture. It is located in the central part of Eixample, stretching from Plaça Catalunya to Carrer Gran de Gràcia.Passeig de Gràcia is regarded as the most expensive street in Barcelona and in Spain.HistoryFormerly known as Camí de Jesús, the Passeig de Gràcia was originally little more than a quasi-rural lane surrounded by gardens joining Barcelona and Gràcia, which was then still a separate town. This was still the case at the time of the first urbanisation project in 1821, which was devised by the liberal city council, and led by Ramon Plana. This project had to be cancelled due to the epidemics that were raging in Barcelona at the time.After the demise of the liberal government with the return of Absolutism in 1824, the project was taken up again by general José Bernaldo de Quirós, marquis of Campo Sagrado. The new avenue was wide in 1827 and became a favourite place for aristocrats to display their horse riding skills and expensive horse-drawn carriages all through the 19th century.In 1906 the architect Pere Falqués i Urpí designed the avenue's now famous ornate benches and street-lights. By that time it had become Barcelona's most fashionable street, with buildings designed by modernista/Art Nouveau architects of fame such as Antoni Gaudí, Pere Falqués, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Enric Sagnier and Josep Vilaseca.

Centre d'Art Santa Mònica, more commonly abbreviated as Arts Santa Mònica, is a public venue in Barcelona, opened in 1988, for exhibiting traveling contemporary art. It is located in the Raval side of Rambla de Santa Mònica . It hosts a number of travelling expositions of contemporary Spanish and international artists every year. Entrance is free.The building that hosts CASM is a 1626 Renaissance convent that became a monument of national interest in 1984.

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The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, also known as Barcelona Cathedral, is the Gothic cathedral and seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain. The cathedral was constructed from the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century. The cloister, which encloses the Well of the Geese was completed in 1448. In the late 19th century, the neo-Gothic façade was constructed over the nondescript exterior that was common to Catalan churches. The roof is notable for its gargoyles, featuring a wide range of animals, both domestic and mythical.It is a pseudobasilica, vaulted over five aisles, the outer two divided into chapels. The transept is truncated. The east end is a chevet of nine radiating chapels connected by an ambulatory. The high altar is raised, allowing a clear view into the crypt. The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in the city. One story says that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snowfall in mid-spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street . The body of Saint Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral's crypt.

Via Laietana is a major thoroughfare in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in the Ciutat Vella district.OverviewThis avenue runs from Plaça Urquinaona to Plaça d'Antonio López, by the seafront, and separates the neighbourhoods of the old city it has on each side: La Ribera/El Born and Sant Pere on one, and Barri Gòtic opposite. Besides being always overcrowded with both locals and tourists attracted by its Modernista Art Nouveau, Art Déco and Noucentista neo-classical architecture, in addition to its nearness to the Ramblas and the quiet pedestrian streets of Barri Gòtic, Via Laietana hosts the headquarters of a number of banks (notably Caixa Catalunya) and institutions.It can be seen as an extension of Carrer de Pau Claris in Eixample. Via Laietana was named after the Laietanii, an Iberian people who inhabited the region around Barcelona, Maresme, Vallès and Baix Llobregat.

Els Quatre Gats is a café in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain that famously became a popular meeting place for famous artists throughout the modernist period in Catalonia. The café opened on June 12, 1897 in the famous Casa Martí, and served as a hostel, bar and cabaret until it eventually became a central meeting point for Barcelona’s most prominent modernist figures, such as Pablo Picasso and Ramon Casas I Carbó. The bar closed due to financial difficulties in June 1903, but was reopened and eventually restored to its original condition in 1989.